TV Rewind: The Society Remains One of the Best YA Shows of the Streaming Age

Editor’s Note: Welcome to our TV Rewind column! The Paste writers are diving into the streaming catalogue to discuss some of our favorite classic series as well as great shows we’re watching for the first time. Come relive your TV past with us, or discover what should be your next binge watch below:

It’s undeniable that streaming has completely changed pretty much everything about television, and teen dramas are no exception. Long gone are the days where 22-or-more-episode seasons were the norm, The CW touted tons of scripted originals every fall, and long-running shows actually got to end with (sometimes) satisfying conclusions rather than just being abruptly canceled. Streaming has been especially rough on the genre, which historically allowed its viewers to grow up with characters and navigate adolescence right alongside them. However, streaming platforms have still delivered some real gems in the YA space in recent years—among one of the most underrated is Netflix’s The Society.

The sci-fi mystery series, which premiered in May 2019, centers on a group of high schoolers who return from a field trip only to find that everyone else in the town has vanished. Left to their own devices, the teens are forced to learn to survive, coexist, and govern themselves, all while trying to solve the puzzle of what really happened. It was initially renewed for a second season, but was later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its unjustly short lifespan, The Society remains one of the best and boldest YA shows of the streaming age.

One of the show’s greatest strengths is how it maintains its unique, dystopian premise while still incorporating plenty of familiar teen drama tropes that viewers know and love. Sure, The Society teens are dealing with much higher stakes than just who they should ask to the winter formal, but at its core, the series actually has a surprising amount in common with classic YA hits like Degrassi: The Next Generation or The Fosters. The characters still face staple teen drama issues like addiction, teen pregnancy, coming out, sibling rivalry, addiction, and toxic relationships. For instance, there’s Harry (Alex Fitzalan), the former “it boy” who spirals out of control with drug use and eventually sinks into a deep depression. Or take Sam (Sean Beardy), a deaf, gay teenager who offers to help his best friend Becca (Gideon Aldon) raise her unborn baby, only to find himself conflicted when he unexpectedly begins a romance with closeted football player Grizz (Jack Mulhem). The series having such a large ensemble cast also means it gets the chance to play around with lots of different romantic pairings, friendships, and love triangles. These characters may be fighting for their literal survival, but they still feel like teens—heck, they even organize a prom for themselves at one point.

At the same time, The Society grapples with some incredibly heavy subject matters. One of its biggest themes is power: understanding what it means to have it, deciding how to use it, and being able to recognize when it goes too far. Allie’s (Kathryn Newton) character arc in particular serves as a vehicle for exploring this. She starts off as an ordinary girl stuck living in her overachiever older sister Cassandra’s (Rachel Keller) shadow, but when she becomes the town leader, she finds herself suddenly wielding immense power and responsibility. Although she tries to do what she considers right (rationing food supplies so nobody goes hungry, holding a “trial” when one of the residents is accused of murder, helping her friends), her judgment isn’t immune from being clouded by her own biases, emotions, and desires. When Lexie (Grace Victoria Cox) confides in her that the guards forced her to change clothes in front of them while on her period, Allie cruelly dismisses her and declines to do anything. Ultimately, what she’s capable of in this position of power surprises even herself. “I know what you’re thinking: ‘What am I doing? This isn’t me,’” she reflects in the Season 1 finale. “But it is you. That’s how fast it happens.” Although the cast is full of excellent performances, Kathryn Newton’s portrayal stands out as especially phenomenal because of how complex and layered Allie becomes in her care.

The series (which, for the record, holds an MA rating) strongly pushes the boundaries of the teen drama genre. That’s not to say it does so in a similar fashion to Euphoria or the original Gossip Girl—sure, there’s some partying, drugs, and sex, but what really makes The Society so bold is just how dark it gets. One scene that’s especially haunting is Dewey’s (Seth Meriwether) execution in Episode 6. After he’s found guilty of Cassandra’s murder, Allie mulls on the ethics of capital punishment and eventually decides, albeit reluctantly, to sentence him to death. She instructs her guards to join her in shooting him—they fire at the same time using blanks and one loaded gun so they won’t have to know who really pulled the trigger. Dewey repeatedly screams and begs for mercy, but his fate is sealed. It’s arguably one of the darkest moments in teen drama history. Another disturbing storyline is Campbell’s (Toby Wallace) horrific psychological and physical abuse of his girlfriend Elle (Olivia DeJonge). Described by his brother Sam as a “psychopath,” Campbell is truly up there with Nate Jacobs as one of the scariest teen drama villains of all time. When Elle tries to poison him in a desperate attempt at escape, Campbell is actually happy because he believes he’s met his match, chillingly declaring, “I was never afraid of anything. Anything. And now I’m afraid of you. But I’m okay with it, it’s good. ‘Cause we’re the same.”

Despite being off the air for nearly five years now, The Society remains more relevant than ever. Certain parts of the series feel incredibly unsettling to rewatch today because they ended up mirroring actual events. For starters, the shots of the completely empty town are eerily reminiscent of the COVID-19 lockdown that would happen in real life just a year later; the kids being forced to navigate their scary new normal also feels similar to life during the pandemic. And then Allie’s political opponents staging a coup to overthrow the election… Well, that plot certainly hits differently after the events of January 6th in the US. The show, which maintains a dedicated fanbase, continues to resonate with viewers because its themes are so evergreen and universal. The series also arguably paved the way for other popular YA survival shows like Yellowjackets and The Wilds. 

It’s deeply frustrating that The Society, like so many great shows in recent years, was never given the chance to finish its story. There are still so many lingering questions, from what that final scene actually means to who the real father of Becca’s baby is. Although viewers sadly will likely never get the answers we desperately want (for the record, Newton says she’s game to return), the short-lived series is ultimately still a captivating, heart-wrenching journey that’s well worth embarking on. 

Watch on Netflix

Kelly Martinez is a freelance entertainment writer based in LA. She has also worked at BuzzFeed and People Magazine and her writing can be found on many other sites. For more of her thoughts on TV and movies (especially “Riverdale”), follow her on Twitter @kmartts.

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